Mother diagnosed with rare cancer during pandemic urges people to get checked

A mother who was diagnosed with a rare cancer during the pandemic has urged people to always get things checked if they do not feel right.

Heather Hackney, 38, from York, welcomed research into leiomyosarcoma and said further study is important to help others like her in the future.

Ms Hackney began experiencing severe pain in her abdomen after giving birth to her son in 2019.

An ultrasound revealed a mass on her pelvis and she was diagnosed with a fibroid, however, the pain in her pelvis carried on and in August 2020 she passed out at home.

She was taken to hospital in an ambulance and two days later had emergency surgery to remove the fibroid, which had ruptured.

A tissue sample was sent for testing and four weeks later she was asked to come to an appointment where she was told she had been diagnosed with the rare cancer, leiomyosarcoma.

She said: “We were in the middle of the pandemic so I’d gone to the appointment alone, expecting a routine follow-up appointment. The cancer diagnosis was a complete shock.”

In September 2020 she had a radical hysterectomy – to remove her ovaries and womb – followed by four weeks of radiotherapy to tackle the tumour.

She now has yearly check-ups to monitor for any changes, particularly to small nodules which have been found on her lungs.

Mrs Hackney said: “It was a lot to deal with in a short space of time. There was the impact of having cancer but also the impact of the treatment.

“I’m in menopause following my hysterectomy, so there are long-term implications of that to deal with, especially at a young age.

“I now have regular checks of my bone density and am on treatment to make sure it doesn’t deteriorate.”

The type of cancer Mrs Hackney was diagnosed with is rare and even more so in pre-menopausal women.

She said she has found the support of charity Sarcoma UK invaluable and urged people to take action if they feel something is not right with their health.

Ms Hackney said: “The odds of sarcoma are small, but always get something checked if it doesn’t feel right, and advocate for yourself.”